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Paying off?

Having childcare is not proving to be the ticket out of poverty that the Government claims it is, a new study of working mothers reveals. <B> Mary Evans </B> reports

Having childcare is not proving to be the ticket out of poverty that the Government claims it is, a new study of working mothers reveals. Mary Evans reports

The benefits of improved access to daycare through the Government's welfare-to-work programme are cancelled out by the low-pay trap which leaves some mothers worse off, according to a research project centred on an early excellence centre in Hackney.

Welfare to work, which encourages parents into the labour force, is a key weapon in the Government's campaign to eradicate child poverty. But the study found that, while mothers from socially disadvantaged families with access to good daycare are more likely to take paid work, they can often see a reduction in their household income because their benefits are cut.

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